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Swan #3
Swan, Volume 3
When three of her talented classmates are chosen for a special performance in Russia, the ballet capital of the world, Hijiri Masumi is included in the group as a backstage crewmember. When opening night arrives, the Russians are pleasantly surprised at the skill of the young Japanese dancers, especially Kyogoku Sayoko. The Russians immediately consider Sayoko for a lead role in their upcoming Bolshoi Ballet performance until stress and fatigue deal a terrible blow to Sayoko and she tears an Achilles tendon! Fate shines on Masumi as she is selected as the substitute dancer. Can she give the performance of her life on this world stage?
199 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
127 people want to read
About the author
Kyoko Ariyoshi
143 books25 followersKyoko Ariyoshi (有吉 京子 Ariyoshi Kyōko, born September 14, 1950) is a Japanese shōjo manga artist. She was born in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture. She debuted by publishing her work Kitty and a Girl (Koneko to Shōjo) in Shukan Margaret in 1971.
Ariyoshi is well known for her works of the ballet stories. Swan (Part 1, 1977 – 1980, and Part 2, 1980 – 1981),[1] Swan -The Prayer of Swan- (1982–1983) and Applause are the representative works. These are all stories of ballet and ballerinas.
See also: 有吉 京子
Ariyoshi is well known for her works of the ballet stories. Swan (Part 1, 1977 – 1980, and Part 2, 1980 – 1981),[1] Swan -The Prayer of Swan- (1982–1983) and Applause are the representative works. These are all stories of ballet and ballerinas.
See also: 有吉 京子
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 18, 2023
My favourite volume so far. Masumi's interpretation of Swan Lake made me so emotional!
April 1, 2013
Several volumes into Swan, I think it is a fascinating, but sometimes frustrating manga series. I love the art. Ariyoshi has a fabulous way of showing movement in her drawings, by showing a freeze frame of a dancer at each stage of a leap or jump. I love the detailed backdrops of the dance scenes.
I can't decide whether I like Hijiri Masumi, the main character. Most of the time she is the stereotypical Japanese girl - naive, super-sweet, self-sacrificing, modest to the point of being self-destructive. It's a personality type that still features prominently in modern manga series. At other times, however, she displays an admirable amount of inner strength. She's persistent and reacts positively to criticism by working that much harder. She pushes other people to have faith in themselves even if she doesn't treat herself the same way.
The plot in volume 3 is framed around Sayoko, the star Japanese ballerina. She performs masterfully in front of a skeptical Russian audience and then sustains a horrific injury. Hijiri is named to take Sayoko's place in auditioning for a prominent role in a Russian ballet.
I was pleasantly surprised in the first two volumes that the series was progressing relatively realistically. Hijiri didn't immediately catapult into success. But now, fantasy is setting in. I find it hard to believe that someone who until recently was years behind her peers is now being viewed with respect if not adulation by many skilled professionals. Admittedly, they do acknowledge that Hijiri is technically flawed but I wouldn't think her artistic style could make up for a lack in technique. Still, it's a fun series and I'm eager to continue.
I can't decide whether I like Hijiri Masumi, the main character. Most of the time she is the stereotypical Japanese girl - naive, super-sweet, self-sacrificing, modest to the point of being self-destructive. It's a personality type that still features prominently in modern manga series. At other times, however, she displays an admirable amount of inner strength. She's persistent and reacts positively to criticism by working that much harder. She pushes other people to have faith in themselves even if she doesn't treat herself the same way.
The plot in volume 3 is framed around Sayoko, the star Japanese ballerina. She performs masterfully in front of a skeptical Russian audience and then sustains a horrific injury. Hijiri is named to take Sayoko's place in auditioning for a prominent role in a Russian ballet.
I was pleasantly surprised in the first two volumes that the series was progressing relatively realistically. Hijiri didn't immediately catapult into success. But now, fantasy is setting in. I find it hard to believe that someone who until recently was years behind her peers is now being viewed with respect if not adulation by many skilled professionals. Admittedly, they do acknowledge that Hijiri is technically flawed but I wouldn't think her artistic style could make up for a lack in technique. Still, it's a fun series and I'm eager to continue.
September 9, 2015
This volume struck a chord with me in terms of talent, passion, and hard work. The primary ballerina gets rave reviews about her performance for the Black Swan and easily could have become an international sensation. Unfortunately for her she was dancing on a broken foot and collapse in the 2nd performance and sadly cannot dance for a year and possibly never the same again. For me I believe in hard work and passion can transport you to new lengths but it struck a chord with me that it's very easily to lose it all in the blink of an eye.
This volume was darker than the previous and I really enjoyed it! I'm so happy for Masumi and how she has the chance of the lifetime to compete for the Russian Ballet. I realize that what makes her unique is she puts her soul into her dancing and that's the purest form of expressing art and as a performer I hope I can learn from her and grow as an Artist.
This volume was darker than the previous and I really enjoyed it! I'm so happy for Masumi and how she has the chance of the lifetime to compete for the Russian Ballet. I realize that what makes her unique is she puts her soul into her dancing and that's the purest form of expressing art and as a performer I hope I can learn from her and grow as an Artist.
January 21, 2016
I really felt sorry for Kyogoku-san, when a ballerina can't dance after an injury it feels like dying.
Can a bird with broken wings learn to fly?
Hijiri Masumi, the aspiring ballerina and heroine, is in Moscow to witness her school's performance when tragedy strikes and one of the leading ballerinas of the school suffers a devastating injury. Now, the future of Japanese ballet rests on an injured dancer... Unless Masumi can take her place. Neither option is ideal, but time is running out...
Can a bird with broken wings learn to fly?
Hijiri Masumi, the aspiring ballerina and heroine, is in Moscow to witness her school's performance when tragedy strikes and one of the leading ballerinas of the school suffers a devastating injury. Now, the future of Japanese ballet rests on an injured dancer... Unless Masumi can take her place. Neither option is ideal, but time is running out...
September 8, 2009
uh, maybe i don't understand the ballet world and all, but couldn't have masumi had just said that she didn't know the red poppy solo? i mean, just because you dance doesn't mean you have every single dance memorized, right? well, normal logic has never really applied to manga anyway.
November 8, 2009
This was my first manga, and I read it in the space of two days.
March 7, 2015
ι тнσυgн ιтѕ ωαѕ σиє σf тнє вєѕт вσσкѕ ι'νє єνєя яєα∂ тнє ѕтσяу ωαѕ ѕσ αмαzιиg ι ∂σи'т киσω ωнαт ωσυℓ∂ нαρρєи ιf ι нα∂ иσт яєα∂ ιт
August 11, 2021
it's even better than the last one. trigger warning for
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews